Good Friday: Butthole Surfers, Peaches, MEN, Digital Leather, King Bucks, Ghoultown, John David Kent, Horrorble Party, Play-N-Skillz Halloween Bash, House Harkonnen and More

Love it when Halloween falls on a weekend, as is the case this year. What that means for music fans is lots of costume contests and tribute nights, and bands and fans will likely be even more intoxicated than usual--so be careful out there. Recently someone told me his drinking-and-driving strategy, which is to look for someone who appears even drunker than he is and tail them. I totally do not endorse that, and only share it so you can know what to look out for: sometimes drunken drivers come in pairs.

Butthole Surfers, Peaches, MENFriday, October 30, at The Granada TheaterThe surfers played with the classic '80s lineup almost exactly a year ago, and it was an awesome spectacle. Gibby Haynes claimed to be sober--though he still gave a pretty hearty recommendation for DMT--in this feature from October 2008. Though the band may not have been fucked up, and though they left the lighter fluid at home, the live show was still extremely intense. Peaches and Men (a Le Tigre offshoot) round out a spectacular bill.

Digital Leather, Thomas Function, Yussuf Jerusalem, Leg SweeperFriday, October 30, at The Lounge on Elm StreetParade of Flesh's John Iskander booked this show as well as tomorrow night's Kurt Vile show at The Lounge, and reports that the club is still BYOB for both weekend shows. So be sure to plan ample time for a beer run before you arrive. If you're not sure what you want to listen to tonight, try a little bit of just about everything here, as the lineup ranges from Leg Sweeper's high-tempo punk to Yussuf Jerusalem's garage-rock, folk and metal dilettantism to Thomas Function's fuzzy, powerpoppy soul to the new-wave synth-punk of Digital Leather.

King BucksFriday, October 30, at Lee Harvey'sSaturday, October 31, at the Belmont HotelThe King Bucks let Pete Freedman know that they just all bought matching suits, so these two shows are your first chance to see the DOMA-winning country band (whose self-titled debut CD is a Merritt Martin fave) in uniform.

Ghoultown, Flametrick Subs, Shadow Reichenstein, Razorblade DollsSaturday, October 31, at TreesI happened to hear Ghoultown on KNON a few nights ago, and it sounds like their theatrical live show and Spaghetti Western-and-rockabilly-spiked metal will make for a fun Halloween celebration. Oh, and remember Elvira, the Mistress of the Night? She asked them, of all bands, to write her new theme song. Halloween is like Christmas for goths, and this lineup might be the greatest gift of all.

John David Kent And The Dumb AngelsSaturday, October 31, at BanderaFormer Radish drummer and current Blackland Records owner John David Kent has been wowing fans of red-dirt Texana long before his bandmate Ben Kweller went country, and Bandera is a perfect venue for his brand of Stones-meets-Tupelo country rock.

Horrorble Party with Bitches Blunts & Ballin', Matthew And The Arrogant Sea, Lil' Foot, YeahdefSaturday, October 31, at Hailey's in DentonThis is another really odd lineup. You're probably already familiar with MATAS's psychedelic folk and DJ Yeahdef's party playlist prowess. Bitches Blunts & Ballin' (B3) is a trio of white guys doing a send-up of gangsta rap materialism and idiocy.

Play-N-Skillz Halloween Bash with Slim Thug and InertiaSaturday, October 31, at the House of Blues Foundation RoomSpeaking of gangsta rap materialism and idiocy, Play-N-Skillz strung out their Grammy party at Plush back in February for hours with a red-carpet entrance, and it was about the most ridiculously self-indulgent and boring thing I have ever witnessed--though the rest of the show was a lot of fun. If you're into that kind of thing, there will be a "black carpet" for celebrities from 10 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. If not, you're probably safe rolling by at around midnight. Should be great. Slim Thug was one of the highlights of the cameo-packed live portion of the Grammy party, so it should be cool to see what he does with what will presumably be a longer set time. The Brothers Salinas just released their new mixtape Recession Proof, which features Bun B, Lil Wayne, Nelly and, for extra street cred, Hillary Duff. Inertia, in case you forgot, is a Dallas rapper recently signed to G4, Play-N-Skillz' new SRC/Universal imprint.

House HarkonnenSunday, November 1, at Liquid LoungeThis is a Vol. 6 CD release show for the Arlington band, whose brand of greasy, grimy hard rock should make a great way to wrap up the Halloween weekend.

Of course, there is much more. Please share your recommendations in the comment section...